New Delhi: Special Olympics, an international organisation dedicated to enabling individuals with mental retardation through sports training and competition, has declared India a priority nation along with China. Special Olympics Bharat, the India chapter of Special Olympics Inc, is running the programme.

Special Olympics Bharat, currently working in 21 Indian states, has been given the mandate to extend this programme throughout the country and train 8,00,000 athletes and 4,000 coaches in the next five years. The programme offers children and adults with mental retardation year-round training and competition in 11 sports.

These include aquatics, athletics and cycling, and games such as cricket, basketball, bowling, football, tennis and volleyball. The organisation has already conducted several state level programmes through which more than 21,000 athletes have benefited. Special Olympics Bharat is headquartered in New Delhi and provides administrative and operational support to the accredited sub-programmes in each of the states in the country.

Dr Tom Songster, a special envoy to India from Special Olympics, Inc., USA said, "Working in around 160 countries worldwide, Special Olympics Inc. has helped over a million people with mental retardation gain social confidence and acceptance through participation in various sports and games. We have declared India a 'priority' country and hope to extend this programme to all individuals with mental retardation across the country."

Special Olympics Bharat chairman Air Marshal Denzil Keelor (Retd.) said, "There is no cost to participate in Special Olympics. Among our immediate tasks is the preparation of a contingent of 88 Indian athletes for the Dublin Special Olympics meet in 2003, requiring intense training of the athletes as well as recruiting additional coaches. This will be the largest contingent from India ever and will also be the biggest from the entire Asia Pacific region."

In order to further expand the programme, Special Olympics Bharat is in the process of identifying more special schools, institutions, rehabilitation centres, regular schools with special sections, and community organisations that work with the intellectually challenged. It has set itself the target of working with 10 slum and 10 village communities each year within each state.

Alongside, to influence policy-making and larger social initiatives that would be more supportive of people with mental retardation, Special Olympics Bharat plans to compile data on potential athletes, with the involvement of schools and institutions and also conduct assessment of the potential athletes.

Special Olympics Inc. has helped millions of people with mental retardation, by providing them with opportunities, proper guidance and encouragement to be physically fit and learn, enjoy, and benefit from participation in individual and team sports. The organisation works mainly through volunteers, and aims as much to involve the families and communities in which it works as the athletes themselves.

Special Olympics is an international year-round program of sports training and competition for individuals with mental retardation. More than one million athletes in more than 160 countries train and compete in 26 Olympic-type summer and winter sports. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides people with mental retardation continuing opportunities to develop fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with other athletes, their families and the community.

Visit Special Olympics online at www.specialolympics.org